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Vaccination center (in Wismar, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania): »Now we have to make preparations for autumn«
Photo: Gregor Fischer / dpa
The Greens, the Left and the FDP are urging the federal government to better prepare the country for possibly rising numbers of corona infections in autumn.
The reason given by the opposition parties is the further spread of the delta variant, which is likely to have displaced all other variants in a few weeks.
"Now the preparations for autumn have to be made and the schools in particular have to be prepared for a possible rise in the number of infections," warned left chairwoman Janine Wissler in SPIEGEL.
This was completely missed last summer.
"More tests after the holidays, air filters, more school buses for the fall," suggests Wissler.
Everything must be done to prevent another wave.
The vaccination urgently needs to be accelerated, and the need for a third vaccination in autumn must be expected.
"That is why we consider the planned closure of the vaccination centers wrong and premature," said Wissler.
The group leader of the Greens, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, also fears another wave in the autumn.
"With the delta variant, the planning failure of the federal government must not be repeated again," she told SPIEGEL.
The federal government should not rest on the currently low number of infections, but must "finally make forward-looking policy this time".
Göring-Eckardt calls for test stations to be set up "now" at the borders and to oblige all those returning from vacation to tests.
"Anyone who returns from risk areas should be tested twice," said the Green politician.
The vaccination campaign must also target people who have previously been unsure about the vaccination or who have missed their deadlines for the second vaccination.
Ploß sees countries as responsible
The parliamentary manager of the FDP parliamentary group, Marco Buschmann, is also pushing for a change in the vaccination campaign.
»We also need more mobile vaccination teams in the area in order to better educate and reach those who are undecided.
This is especially true for social hot spots, "said the FDP politician.
He also called on the federal government to »buy up vaccine capacities from those countries in which the willingness to vaccinate is waning.
This is currently the case in the USA, for example. "
Vaccine boosters have to be strategically planned for the autumn now.
"It must not be too late and too little vaccine ordered for re-vaccinations," said Buschmann.
There is uncertainty, especially in schools.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn had already indicated that certain restrictions might be necessary again in the autumn.
The Hamburg CDU boss Christoph Ploß points to the responsibility of the federal states.
"In federal states like Hamburg, the state government failed to install air filter systems in schools in good time - despite extensive federal funding," Ploß told SPIEGEL.
The federal states would have to ensure that »the schools are technically up to date by autumn at the latest and that school lessons can take place even when the incidence increases«.
Green parliamentary group leader Göring-Eckardt also warned: "The efforts, which started incredibly late to protect schools and daycare centers better against the pandemic with air filters, must be accelerated."